BOX
SCORE
WATERVILLE, Maine - Bowdoin quarterback Oliver Kell accumulated
244 yards of total offense - more than Colby had as a team - and
the Polar Bear defense posted their third-straight outstanding
performance in a 20-6 win over the Mules on Saturday. With the win,
Bowdoin earns their third-consecutive CBB (Colby-Bates-Bowdoin)
Championship, the team's longest streak since 1975-77.
The Polar Bears finish the season with a record of 4-4 to finish
fifth in the NESCAC's final standings. The Mules end the year with
a mark of 3-5. It is Bowdoin's 18th CBB title overall, ahead of
Colby's 13 and Bates' seven.
The Mules marched down the field on their opening drive, traveling
79 yards in 10 plays to take the lead. Dan Prunier capped the drive
for Colby with a 29-yard scoring run, but the Mules missed the PAT
to take a 6-0 edge.
Colby carried the lead into the second quarter, when Bowdoin
started chipping away. A Matt Leotti interception set the Polar
Bears up at the Colby 22, and Nolan McNair made a 34-yard field
goal moments later to make it 6-3. Later in the period, Bowdoin
took the lead for good on an impressive nine-play, 58-yard drive.
On third down inside the Colby 5, Kell found Michael Welsh for a
four-yard touchdown with just 25 seconds left in the half to take a
10-6 lead.
The Polar Bears carried their four-point lead through the third
quarter and used a back-breaking 17-play, 80-yard drive to seal the
win. Converting on three third-downs and a fourth-down attempt,
Kell capped the surge with a six-yard touchdown run to push the
Bowdoin lead to 17-6 with 12:15 to play.
Bowdoin's defensive stifled the Mules from there, and capped the
scoring on a 31-yard field goal from McNair with 4:41 remaining.
The Polar Bears allowed just 221 yards of total offense, and only
104 after the first quarter. Damon Hall-Jones made nine tackles,
including three for a loss and a sack in the win as Bowdoin
permitted just 55 yards on the ground.
Kell gained 92 yards on 30 carries and went 17-27 for 152 yards
through the air. Nick Tom gained 46 yards on the ground for Bowdoin
while Justin Starr was Kell's top target, making five catches for
44 yards.
